Gerard Craughwell (Independent)

I am sorry to come back in so quickly but, as the debate has been going on, I have received a message on my phone from a person who is well advised and well informed in respect of these institutions. I will not read out the name of the company but this person has given me the name of a company, one of the largest companies in the countries and one that is highly successful and highly profitable. There are echoes of "The Shawshank Redemption" here. People were brought out and forced to labour for this highly profitable company. I will share the name of the company with the Minister but I want a Garda investigation into the matter. I want to know how this company finished up getting inmates from an institution to work in its organisation, which made profits on the backs of those people while paying sweet damn all as regards their pay-related social insurance, insurance cards or whatever.This is one of the largest companies in the country. If this can be proven, it is outrageous. What did that company pay for that labour, who did it pay for that labour and where did the money go? I am incensed by the message I just got today. We need to get to the bottom of how young people in State care were exploited and now have nothing in the latter part of their lives. I compliment my colleague on mentioning the contributory old age pension but we cannot even do that for them. It is not just religious institutions. Senator Boyhan is right that there were all sorts of institutions involved in this. If this is true, somebody somewhere has to pay, and that is for sure. I will not rest on this.

By the way, it is not the Minister's fault. She inherited this and she has a tough job to do. However, we cannot let it lie. It has been coming for 25 years.